Month: January 2017

At our neighborhood garden swap a couple weeks ago, Raphael made an appearance. Well, not the man, but his Chile. On Friday the 13th, several neighbors converged upon Sandy & Ed’s glorious French Chateaux (the house my house wants to be when it grows up). Don’t let the date scare you… despite entering under a ladder, crossing the path of a black cat, and opening several umbrellas in the house there was no bad luck on this night. Continue reading →

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Mine? Right now? Not at all. Well, except for herbs. Despite the planting of chard, peppers, and brussel sprouts late in 2016, my garden has only managed to produce 1 little pepper. Which is a problem when you have an upcoming garden swap. Hmm… what to swap…? Continue reading →

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I’m part German, or at least I’ve been told that. The ancestry.com results aren’t back yet and German culture wasn’t part of my upbringing. I suppose the fact that I had a great uncle named “Herman the German” is a pretty good indicator that my ancestry, or part of it, lies in Deutschland. A couple months ago, a (German) neighbor invited us to the Phoenix Club (a distinctly German experience) for Karneval. Continue reading →

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I’ll be here.

San Francisco knows the way to my heart, and it is the Ferry Building. I always look forward to visiting San Francisco, because I make a point to stay near the Ferry Building so I can go and shop, and eat, after work. Continue reading →

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When we first moved into our house, Alex attend our neighborhood association meeting. I opted to stay home. He came home and announced that he had met a neighborhood realtor who ran the home tour. “We have 2 years to make the house perfect,” he proclaimed when he got home. “Huh?” I asked, “what’s wrong with our house?” Continue reading →

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Every once in a while it hits me as to why I live in Southern California. It can be crowded, it can be hot, it can be smoggy, and it is always expensive. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not leaving. But here’s why: Continue reading →

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When asked to join some friends for dinner, I offered to bring an appetizer. They were making curry, so I wanted some flavors that would blend with curry. Cumin is a central curry flavor, so I hoped that baba ganoush would be a nice match. I love baba ganoush, the Mediterranean roasted eggplant dish that is garlicy and citrusy. The problem is that Alex is allergic to eggplants, which puts my baba ganoush consumption well below the desired level.